Shoe shank



1952 J. c. RICE ETAL 2,585,588

SHOE SHANK Filed Sept. 28 1951 INVENTORS.

NEYS- BY Z MM Arroz f g Patented Feb. 12, 1952 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

SHOE SHANK James 0. Rice and Charles Krick, Portsmouth, Ohio, assignors to The Selby Shoe Company, Portsmouth, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 28,1951, Serial No. 248,718

, V Claims. 1

8 This invention is concerned with the construction of shoe shanks or shank pieces as they are sometimes called. It is particularly concerned with a new and improved construction which includes many of the advantages of shanks which have conventionally been used in welt type shoes, but it is particularly adapted for use in what is known in the trade as silhouwelt construction. A silhouwelt shoe is a welt shoe which ha the outsole cemented to the welting rather than stitched thereto as in the conventional welt construction.

One of the objects of the present invention has been to provide a shoe shank having a portion which is adapted to overlie the inseam lip of a welt construction to provide support for the fifth metatarsal bone. While this type of support has been provided in constructions of the prior art, it has not proved readily adaptable to silhouwelt shoes because it has always proved difficult to establish a firm adhesive bond between metal and leather, and the overlying portion of the shank prevents the establishment of such a bond over an area where it is particularly desirable, to wit, the upper surface of the inseam lip in the shank area of the, shoe.

Another object of the invention has been to provide a shank piece having a plurality of teeth or tangs overlying the inseam lip to permit the shank to set or impinge somewhat into the lip as the various bottom rolling and other shoemaking processes force down the teeth or tangs. While it has been suggested in the past that portions of the shank might be inserted entirely through the lip through lots preformed therein, this requires a more expensive structure and entails a more diflicult manufacturing operation. In addition, such a construction does not provide support for the fifth metatarsal over an extended area as in the case of the present construction.

Briefly stated, the preferred structure of the invention contemplates the provision on the outer side of the shank of a plurality of relatively sharp tang members adapted to engage with and overlie the inseam lip and spaced from one another to establish adhesive areas at which the outsole may be firmly secured to the lip It has been view the rear end of. the outsole has been elevated to illustrate the relationship between the shank piece and the inseam lips.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 22, Figure l.

V Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3 3, Figure l. H r

In the drawings, l0 represents generally a silhouwelt shoe of the type with which the shank of the invention is particularly adapted to be used. The upper has been designated I I, the outsole l2, the insole l3, and the inseam lips l4l4. The welting strips are designated l5l5. A shank of the preferred type of the invention has been designated generally as It and as will be noted, is positioned in the conventional manner between the inseam lips. The particular shank illustrated includes a corrugated rib portion l1 and flanges I8 extending laterally from the rib portion, one on each side. Also illustrated are the apertures l9 and 26 which are adapted to be used in securing the shank to the insole and to the heel.

Extending laterally from the flange 18 on the outer side of the shoe in the shank area are a plurality of tangs 2|. These tangs, as will be noted, directly overlie-the outer inseam lip. The tangs are preferably spaced apart a distance approximating their own width to provide areas 22 on the upper surface of the inseam lip for the reception of adhesive (not shown) utilized in securing the outsole l2 directly to the upper surface of the lip. It has been found that byiitilizing modern adhesives the areas 22 are sufiicient to provide a firm bond between the outsole and the inseam lip I4 which the tangs overlie.

After the shank has been secured to the insole in the conventional manner and while the assembly is still on the last, various bottom rolling and other shoemaking operations force the tangs down on the inseam lip. This causes them to conform more completely to the last and by elevating slightly the areas 22, causes a slight impingement of the tangs into the lip which obviously would not be possible with a continuous rib.

The resultant construction permits the use of a wide and strong shank in a silhouwelt shoe without impairing the rigidity of the adhesive bond provided.

While the invention is preferably utilized in conjunction with silhouwelt shoes, it may also be used, if desired, in a stitched welt construction.

Having fully described our invention, we claim:

1. In a welt shoe, a shank extending lineally of the shoe and disposed between the inseam lips, said shank having a plurality of spaced tangs extending laterally over the outer of said lips, adhesive positioned in the lip areas between said tangs for securing the outsole to the lip in a leather to leather contact.

2. In a welt shoe, a shank extending lengthwise of the shoe and disposed between the inseam lips, said shank having a plurality of spaced "tangs extending laterally to overlie the outer of said lips and to provide support for the fifth metatarsal bone.

3. In a welt shoe, a shank extending lengthwise of the shoe and disposed between the inseam lips, said shank including a corrugated rib portion and flanges extending laterally therefrom, one'of said I flanges having a plurality of spaced tangs formed thereon, said tangs being adapted to overlie the outer inseam lip and to be partially imbedded therein.

4. In a shank for-usewith shoes of the'welt type, said shank including a corrugated rib por- 'tion adapted to extend lineally of the shoe and flanges extending laterally from said rib portion,

one on each side thereof, a plurality of tangs extending outwardly from one of said flanges, said tangs being adapted to overlie the outer inseam lip of a shoe and to support the fifth metatarsal bone.

5. A shoe shank for use with shoes of the welt type, comprising an elongated member and a pluralitybfsp'aced tan'gs extending laterally from said member, said tangs being adapted to overlie Number Name Date 1,526,876 Selby Feb. 17, 1925 1,920,383 Hadaway Aug. 1, 1933 2,362,497 Moore Nov, 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 320,223 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1929 

